Having heart saves lives at Fairview Ridges
Patients get
state-of-the-art
cardiac care
south of the
by Stacey Ackerman
SPECIAL TO THISWEEK

Dakota County patients
suffering from a cardiac
arrest no longer have to be
transported to Fairview
Southdale Hospital in
Edina as they once did.
Fairview Ridges Hospital in Burnsville, which
opened a catheterization
laboratory in 2009, is only
the second hospital in the
state to do so. The lab, an
examination room that uses
state-of-the-art
imaging
technology, allowing physicians to see inside heart
arteries, has already performed 650 angiograms and
16 emergency angioplasties.
Fairview Ridges is a leading hospital in cardiac care,
winning several awards of
distinction from HealthGrades, the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most
trusted source of health
care information, including:
â&#x20AC;˘ Five-Star Rated for
Treatment of Heart Attack

Photo by Rick Orndorf

Standing inside the catheterization lab at Fairview Ridges
Hospital in Burnsville are (from left) Diane Nelson, director
of Cardiovascular Services, Heidi Wipf and Amanda
Brandt, both employees of the lab.
for three consecutive years
(2009-2011)
â&#x20AC;˘ Five-Star Rated for
Treatment of Heart Failure
for two consecutive years
(2010-2011)
â&#x20AC;˘ Five-Star rated for
Treatment of Stroke for
three consecutive years
(2009-2011)
â&#x20AC;˘ Top 10 percent in the
Nation for Treatment of

Stroke for two consecutive
years (2010-2011)
The catheter lab currently operates on a weekday
basis, but the goal is to have
it staffed 24/7 in the near future.
Fairview Ridges is investing significant resources
into its cardiovascular unit
due to the aging population
in Burnsville and the sur-

Photo by Rick Orndorf

The catheterization lab at Fairview Ridges Hospital in Burnsville is one of only two in
Minnesota.
rounding communities.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are addressing an
aging population,â&#x20AC;? Dr. Stephen Battista, interventional cardiologist and site lead
at Fairview Ridges, said.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re seeing more cardiac arrests, therefore weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve
ramped it up.â&#x20AC;?
The hospital currently
employs three full-time cardiologists, and soon may get

a fourth, and has a staffing
level of 1-1.5 for nurse practitioners on a daily basis.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;The business is growing so fast its bulging at the
See Cardiac, 11A

Local author recounts battle City loans $50,000 to draw more
shows to Burnsville arts center
with postpartum anxiety
She hopes book will be
a resource for women,
health care workers

Businesses
also donate
to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;angel fundâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

by Stacey Ackerman

by John Gessner

THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

I have always wanted to write a book.
If you asked me a few years ago what
would be on my bucket list, writing a
book was definitely up there. I just didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t
have the motivation or a really compelling story.
That all changed after the birth of my
third child.
I was hospitalized for 12 days with a
diagnosis of severe depression postpartum, anxiety disorder and panic disorder
with psychotic features followed by post
traumatic stress disorder.
Yes, a sprinkling of every postpartum
mood disorder, yet it went unrecognized
and untreated until it was almost too
late.
I decided to write my memoir, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Supermom: A Postpartum Anxiety Survival Storyâ&#x20AC;? six months after my release

An â&#x20AC;&#x153;angel fundâ&#x20AC;? giving
the Burnsville Performing
Arts Center money to book
its own shows got a $50,000
taxpayer boost Aug. 1, but
not without a fight.
The City Council, meeting as the Economic Development Authority, voted
3-1 to loan $50,000 from the
cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s EDA fund. Council
Member Mary Sherry vigorously opposed the loan,
which will buttress private
donations.
Center manager VenuWorks and the centerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s advisory commission want
to build a fund of at least
$100,000, allowing the ven-

Photo submitted

Lakeville resident Stacey Ackerman
battled postpartum anxiety after the
birth of her third child, Emily.
from the behavioral health unit in an effort to better understand what made me,
an overachieving mom, lose my mind.
In the year it took to write my story,
I discovered many things. It was the best
journey in self-discovery I could have
ever made.
See Postpartum, 12A

A Eagan man was saved
by a few Good Samaritans
and local law enforcement
Sunday night, July 31, after he nearly drowned in an
Eagan lake.
According an Eagan police report, 37-year-old Muhammad Irfan Javed, who
did not know how to swim,
jumped into Fish Lake to
save his 2-year-old son, who
had fallen in.
Javedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 7-year-old daughter saw her father struggle
in the water and ran for
help while her other brother
stayed on shore.
The girl ran up to
49-year-old Mark Halberg
screaming that someone was
drowning.
General 952-894-1111
Distribution 952-846-2070
Display Advertising 952-846-2011
Classified Advertising 952-846-2000

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ue to assume the risk and
reward of booking shows
on its own.
The center was established as a rental house,
with no budget for chasing
bookings.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;That is in contrast to
a presenting house,â&#x20AC;? which
the angel fund will allow,
Deputy City Manager Tom
Hansen said.
The center has finite
prospects as a rental house,
said Dan Gustafson, council member and EDA
president. Friends and foes
of the city-owned center,
which opened amid controversy in January 2009, agree
that more bookings are
needed to fill empty spots
in the calendar and cut citysubsidized operating losses.
The angel fund idea has
community support, said
Hansen and Sal Mondelli,
chair of the advisory com-

Halberg followed her to
the fishing pier where he saw
the 2-year-old struggling in
the water. As he jumped in
and pulled the boy out, Halberg felt something brush
against his leg in the water.
It was Javed, who was
unconscious at the bottom
of the lake. Police estimate
he was there for about two
minutes.
After putting the boy on
shore, Halberg, of Burnsville, returned to the water
to retrieve the father. He
pulled the man to the surface and began treading water until two paddle boats
arrived a short time later.
At some point in the chaos a call was made to Eagan
police who arrived at the
scene at around 8:30 p.m.

Coming together for National Night Out

The boatsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; occupants,
Nancy Durkee and Patrick
Scanlon, both of Eagan,
pulled Javed inside one boat
and brought him to the pier
where officers were waiting.
The officers revived Javed, who was transported
by ambulance to Regions
Hospital along with his
2-year-old son.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;The key to making this a
successful rescue was the act
of the Good Samaritan who
didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hesitate to jump in the
water,â&#x20AC;? said Danielle Anselment, spokeswoman for the
Eagan Police Department.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Due to his actions, three
little children have their father today.â&#x20AC;?

Photo by Jessica Harper

Children climbed in and around a fire engine on the 4200 block of Sandstone Drive in
Eagan on Aug. 2 during the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual National Night Out event. Members of the
fire and police departments met with area block parties to teach safety and get to know
one another.

E-mail Jessica Harper at:
jessica.harper@ecm-inc.com

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mission.
VenuWorks, Pepsi and
Pawn America have each
agreed to donate $10,000. A
city contribution will boost
private fundraising efforts,
backers say.
The city is putting
enough money into the
center already, Sherry said,
citing an annual $410,000
EDA contribution to debt
service on the $20 million
building as well as a 2011
general fund transfer of
$275,000.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am a risk-taker. Just to
look at my stock portfolio,
I am a risk-taker. But I am
not a risk-taker with other
peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s money, and this is
other peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s money,â&#x20AC;? she
said in opposing the angel
fund contribution.
Council Member Dan
Kealey, noting that he voted
against building the center,
See Loan, 2A

would be a better avenue
to distance herself from the
As a teenager, Susan Niz story.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;It enabled me to make
wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t preparing for the
it authentic but still
prom or college enfiction,â&#x20AC;? she said.
trance exams like
Though she took
others her age.
much creative libInstead,
the
erty, Nizâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s personal
Eagan resident fojourney is still wocused on where her
ven within the pagnext meal would
es.
come from or where
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Any given characshe would sleep at Susan Niz
ter is not based on
night.
At age 16, Niz dropped one person but inspired by
out of school and ran away several people I knew,â&#x20AC;? she
from her suburban home said.
Niz describes the main
for the streets of Minneapolis â&#x20AC;&#x201C; an experience that character, Kara, as someone
inspired her to write her re- who has good intentions
but who bases her decisions
cent novel, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kara, Lost.â&#x20AC;?
The book, which is avail- on emotions â&#x20AC;&#x201C; characterisable at major book stores, tics that she, at one time in
focuses on 16-year-old her life, shared.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;I had the same mind-set
Kara, who too leaves her
home in the suburbs for the as Kara,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I felt
rough streets of Minneapo- what I had to do was run
from the problem.â&#x20AC;?
lis during the early â&#x20AC;&#x2122;90s.
Niz said she struggled
Niz, 36, initially planned
to write a memoir about to find the resources she
her personal experiences needed to stay on track
as a teenage runaway, but â&#x20AC;&#x201C; resources other teens
ultimately decided fiction need to avoid the same
THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

by Jessica Harper

2009 and notified Eagan
police.
Through their investigation, officers found two
cash withdrawals â&#x20AC;&#x201D; one
exceeding $119,000 and the
other exceeding $157,5000
â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that could not be accounted for.
The majority of the
withdrawals were made at a
bank branch in Eagan near
Rodriguesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; home.
Forensic analysis determined that Rodrigues had
transferred $57,570 directly
to his personal account.
Rodrigues is expected to
appear in court on Aug. 29.

THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

An Eagan man faces
felony charges for allegedly
stealing tens of thousands
of dollars from a Minneapolis ice skating club.
John Paul Rodrigues, 58,
was charged by the Dakota
County Attorneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office
on July 22 with two counts
of felony theft.
The criminal complaint
states the following:
Rodrigues had been embezzling money from the
skating club, which he had
served as treasurer for the
past four years.
One of the clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s board
members discovered the E-mail Jessica Harper at:
missing funds in December jessica.harper@ecm-inc.com

schooler.
Although â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kara, Lost,â&#x20AC;?
is her first novel, it is not her
first published work.
While struggling to publish the book, Niz wrote
several short stories and a
poem that were published in
literary journals.
Once establishing herself
as a writer, she was able to
sign on with a publisher
who released the book in
June.
More information on Niz
and her novel can be found
at www.susanniz.com.
E-mail Jessica Harper at:
jessica.harper@ecm-inc.com

to a break-even position,â&#x20AC;?
Kealey said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;but we have
to invest, just like any other
business.â&#x20AC;?
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re very sunny about
the outlook here,â&#x20AC;? Sherry
told council colleagues.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;But what if it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go?â&#x20AC;?
The EDA could be facing
another $50,000 request in
two years, she said.
The EDA voted to approve a loan not exceeding
$50,000, for a period longer
than a year and repayment
terms to be decided.
The centerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s operating
loss in 2010 was $390,000,
according to the city. All
told, the city is paying more
than $1 million a year in
loss subsidies, debt repayment and operations, Kealey said.

circumstances.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;If life gets off track,
they have to get back into
school and recover,â&#x20AC;? she
said.
This is exactly what Niz
did herself.
After spending several
years working one dead-end
job after another and struggling to make ends meet,
Niz earned her GED and
enrolled in the University
of Minnesota to pursue her
passion for writing.
Niz began a degree in
creative writing, but ultimately earned a masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in
education.
Though she loves to
write, it took years to gain
the confidence to recall her
difficult past.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was not until six years
ago that I was ready to tell
my story,â&#x20AC;? she said.
Upon writing the novel,
Niz did not have an audience in mind, but she said
she believes the book is
aimed at adults.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;The setting of Minneapolis in the â&#x20AC;&#x2122;90s, especially
Uptown, will be appealing
to them,â&#x20AC;? she said.
Writing has been Nizâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
passion ever since she first
started scribbling as a pre-

gave a vigorous defense of
city participation in the
fund. At his suggestion,
what had been proposed as
a city contribution was instead made a loan.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have to drive revenues,â&#x20AC;? Kealey said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We
have to do this and some
other things.â&#x20AC;?
Minnesota Zoo concert series promoter Sue
McLean has said that the
lack of a â&#x20AC;&#x153;riskâ&#x20AC;? fund is
holding the center back,
Kealey said.
Kealey and other backers say an angel fund could
help the center stage a concert series. McLean has
promoted one concert at
the center and is promoting
an upcoming Lyle Lovett
show.
John Gessner is at burnsville.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;I believe we can get it thisweek@ecm-inc.com.

The Burnsville-EaganSavage District 191 School
Board has a diverse roster
of 10 applicants from which
to choose a replacement
for veteran Board Member
Gail Morrison.
They include a former
Burnsville City Council
member, a 20-something
graduate of Burnsville High
School, a parent of specialneeds children, an ex-school
administrator, a senior citizen and a leading advocate
of multicultural education.
The six sitting board
members interviewed the
candidates at a public work
session on Aug. 4.
Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll select one at the
Aug. 18 board meeting.
Board members will narrow
the choices by naming their
top candidates before voting, Chair Ron Hill said.
The appointee will serve
the rest of Morrisonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s term,
which ends in December
2012. The former Burnsville
resident resigned at the end
of June because she was
moving out of the district.
Applicants are:
Peter Beckel, 11464
Galtier Drive, Burnsville.
A candidate in the 2010
board election, Beckel has
been a volunteer and substitute teacher in district
schools. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been involved
in Burnsville Athletic Club
youth sports.
Caryl Breecher, 3400 E.
112th St., Burnsville. A selfdescribed senior citizen, she
is a registered nurse who
has taught nursing for Abbott Northwestern Hospi-

talâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s School of Nursing, St.
Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Junior College and
Gustavus Adolphus College.
Sheryl Burkhardt, 2701
Hayes Drive, Burnsville. A
special-education paraprofessional at Shakopee High
School, Burkhardt has also
worked as an educational
assistant in English-language instruction at District
191â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Metcalf Junior High
and as an elementary reading and math tutor in Lakeville. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been an active
volunteer in District 191.
Steven Cherney, 408
E. 135th St., Burnsville.
Cherney is a former Burnsville City Council member
and has served on the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
Planning
Commission.
His community activities
include Burnsville Rotary
(treasurer) and the Burnsville Fire Muster (operations director).
Steve
Dove,
10913
Southview Drive, Burnsville. Dove, a former assistant principal and athletic director at Edina
High School, is an adjunct
professor in the graduate
school of education at the
University of St. Thomas.
Community activities have
included Burnsville Athletic
Club coaching and the committee promoting passage
of District 191â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2007 levy
referendum.
Mark Korman, 12905
First Ave. S., Burnsville.
An accounting and finance
professional, Korman has
two special-needs sons entering first grade at Rahn
Elementary and a daughter entering third grade at
Gideon Pond, where he has
attended PTO meetings.
Seema Pothini, 4173 W.
136th St., Savage. An educational equity and diversity

consultant, she is president
of the Minnesota chapter
of the National Association
for Multicultural Education. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a former sixthgrade teacher and served on
the integration task force of
the Burnsville and Lakeville
districts.
William Randall, 2075
Flint Drive, Eagan. A project manager for Tonka
Equipment Co., Randall
served as Wisconsin coordinator for the Union of
Concerned Scientists and
has volunteered at Rahn Elementary.
Clynt Reddy, 12937
Portland Ave., Burnsville.
A valedictorian of Burnsville High Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Class
of 2005, Reddy is a self-described nonprofit employee
and community leader. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
senior team leader at Feed
My Starving Children in
Eagan and established a
student-led ministry in the
Burnsville area called Rampage.
Robert
VandenBoom,
2062 Royale Drive, Eagan.
A senior marketing manager for The Toro Co., VandenBoom has been involved
in the Rahn Elementary and
districtwide site councils
and other district activities,
including the Facilities Task
force. He has coached youth
sports and taught faith formation at Mary, Mother of
the Church.
Two others, Paul Butche
of Burnsville and Mark
Nesvig of Savage, submitted applications but have
withdrawn as candidates.
Candidatesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; application
filings can be viewed at
the district website, www.
isd191.org.

Apple Valley

Emergency drill is Aug. 13
at 157th Street transit station
Area police, fire and ambulance personnel will be
staging an emergency response drill from 9 a.m. to
noon Saturday, Aug. 13, at
the 157th Street transit station in Apple Valley.
The entire transit station
at 15865 Pilot Knob Road,

as well as nearby Quarry
Point Park, will be closed
to the public during the
drill, which is held locally
every three to five years to
test public safety workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;
ability to respond to a largescale emergency, said Apple
Valley Fire Chief Nealon

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John Gessner is at burnsville.
thisweek@ecm-inc.com.

iffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office and Burnsville
Police continues into the circumstances leading up to the
discovery of the victim.
An autopsy will be performed by the Dakota County Medical Examinerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office
on Monday, Aug. 1.

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was found approximately
5:30 a.m. by fishermen near
the boat landing on Crystal
Lake Road on the northwest
portion of the lake.
While foul play is not considered a factor at this time,
the investigation by the sher-

Thompson.
Thompson advised nearby residents that though the
scene may have the appearance of an actual emergency, â&#x20AC;&#x153;thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no reason to be
concerned â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it is all an exercise.â&#x20AC;?
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Andrew Miller

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Bloomington woman found dead in Crystal Lake
The dead body of a
24-year-old
Bloomington
woman was found Sunday
morning in Crystal Lake in
Burnsville, according to the
Dakota County Sheriffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Department.
Jocelyn Renee Brengman

What if you were the only
person who looked like you?
Odd question, especially
for those without twins. But
think of it this way: What if
you were the only person of
your ethnicity in your community?
In the early 1980s, as more Minnesotans began adopting from
abroad, many were confronted with
this question. Their Minnesotaraised children were part of white
families and mostly white communities, but looked decidedly different.
Jeaneen Wilhelmi, who adopted two Colombian children in the
early 1980s, recognized the importance of the adoptees having some
interaction and a relationship with
other Latino kids. So Wilhelmi and
some partners started La Semana,
a cultural camp aimed at bridging
the gap between cultures of origin
and adopted cultures.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;We wanted kids to have companions who looked like them,â&#x20AC;?
Wilhelmi told me over the phone
last week. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We kept saying, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;How
do we keep these kids in connection
with their heritage?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;?
La Semana (which is Spanish
for â&#x20AC;&#x153;the weekâ&#x20AC;?) is a weeklong rec-

reational and educational
program that has been held
at different sites around the
Twin Cities in its multiple
decades of existence. It celebrated its 30th anniversary
this past week at All Saints
Catholic Church and Lakeville South High School.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;The camp taught me as a very
young person to not be ashamed
of my adoption story and eclecticlooking family,â&#x20AC;? said Anna Wilhelmi Plachizaca, Jeaneenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s daughter.
She got started with the camp when
she was very young, but she remembers that idea running through her
head.
The camp started out with 45
kids, all pre-K through seventh
grade.
The bonds developed amid the
classrooms, Latin musical performances, food tastings and cultural
lessons held strong.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;The core families would go on
vacations with each other,â&#x20AC;? Wilhelmi Plachizaca said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were even
in each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s weddings.â&#x20AC;?
The situation is a bit different
now. There are nearly 400 kids in
the program, adopted from a variety of Latin American countries.
Also, there are more Latino immigrants in Minnesota in general,

so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not so much a matter of the
adoptees being one of a few among
a sea of white. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more about adopted children with a semicommon
background getting in touch with
their roots.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;All adopted children have a
sense of abandonment in their
psyche,â&#x20AC;? Wilhelmi said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Most kids
yearn for something to connect
them to who they are.â&#x20AC;?
Talking with the Wilhelmis
made me think of some of my personal experiences. Growing up, I
had a couple friends who were adopted from Korea by white families.
One of them said she did not even
think of herself as nonwhite until
some kids at school made fun of
her for â&#x20AC;&#x153;looking Chinese.â&#x20AC;?
Minnesota has the highest number of Korean adoptees per capita
in the world, according to a 2010
MinnPost story on the topic. There
are centers that provide cultural
trips for adoptees who want to visit
the city in Korea in which they were
born, and sometimes even the orphanage from which they came.
I actually spent some time in Korea about five years ago. I was an
English teacher in a city of about
2 million people. Here, that would
be a big city. There, it was more like
a Mankato-sized city in relation to

Letters

Seoul, the capital.
While I would not dream to
know what these adoptees in America feel like being a minority, my experience in Korea has heightened
my empathy toward them.
I was one of a very small population of white people in a very homogenous area. The result was that
everywhere I went people would do
at least one of the following: stare,
laugh, approach me and give me
advice or just engage in friendly
conversation.
But sometimes it was negative,
especially when people would act as
if I were part of some Barnumesque
experiment in public relations.
The funny part is this would often happen in my neighborhoodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
ubiquitous American chain establishments, so perhaps I was feeding into somewhat of a cliche. That
said, I hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t had McDonaldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in
six months, so I was interested in a
taste of home.
I emerged from these incidents
basically unscathed â&#x20AC;&#x201C; again, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t
want to give the impression that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m
offering an analogous experience
here â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but it allowed me the luxury
of even a percentage of an experience walking in someone elseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
shoes.
What becomes of those kids who

go through La Semana? Wilhelmi
Plachizaca said that the camp, and
its sister organization Parents of
Latin American Children, engage
in a number of activities that â&#x20AC;&#x153;teach
philanthropy at an early age.â&#x20AC;? For
example, at Christmas the kids will
send gifts to the orphanages they
came from.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think that shaped a lot of
us into who we are in our careers
now,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Several of us are
now in social services. I think it just
gave us one more opportunity that
most 7- and 8-year-olds donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have:
giving back to something larger
than themselves.â&#x20AC;?
It is perhaps this that makes La
Semana so inspiring: It takes the
tough questions about race, adoption, the self and oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heritage
and answers them for kids by being
honest with them. And that manifests as good, old-fashioned selfless
behavior.
In an age in which Americans
often genuflect before the idea of
instant gratification for the benefit
of the self, I find this comforting.
Aaron Vehling is the Lakeville Editor
for Thisweek Newspapers. Columns
reflect the opinion of the author.

Thisweek Columnist

Trickle down doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t
work
To the editor:
Interpretations are not
facts, and some folks would
like to convince us their interpretations are facts.
A recent letter from an
advocate of classic libertarian principles supported Rep.
Ron Paulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic views
as a panacea for our country. Unfortunately he aligned
himself with Herbert Hoover
and Grover Norquist in this
justification for laissez-faire
solutions for all our economic woes. I just donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t buy his
idea that we should drown
government in the bathtub.
That wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t solve our financial problems.
The writerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s failed attempt
to justify his radical views by

trying to deceive us about the
work of Nobel-prize winning economist Paul Samuelson and the architect of
our countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s escape from
the Great Depression, John
Maynard Keynes, shows how
desperate he is. If the lie is big
enough and nicely presented,
maybe people will believe it.
He wants us to believe that
helping the poor is what got
us into trillions of dollars of
national debt. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like us to
forget about the cost of hefty
tax cuts for millionaires and
billionaires and unpaid bills
for wars during the regime of
Bush 2. He hopes weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll believe those bad investments
have nothing to do with that
debt, nor the recession weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve
experienced since then.
Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a reason our countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s income gap is wider than

ever before. Thanks to this
bad tax policy, the top 1 percent now controls 40 percent
of our nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assets, according to the Census Bureau.
This robs our economy of the
energy and vitality of those
lower-income folks whose
hard work and ingenuity are
all being spent just trying to
put food on the table for their
families. Programs to permit low-income people build
some assets and participate
more fully in our economy
are anathema to these elitists
who still want us to believe
the myth that more money
for billionaires will help provide us all good-paying jobs.
No thanks, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been trickled
on enough, thank you.
PAUL HOFFINGER
Eagan

With all the talk about political
principles, I decided to ask several
Rosemount and Eagan area principals and higher education leaders
about their personal priorities.
John Wollersheim, principal at
Rosemount high school, wrote: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Minnesotaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Public Schools are here to serve our
students and our communities. As a school
leader, every decision we make should be
focused on doing what is best for our students and then community. District and
school goals should be focused on this
same interest.â&#x20AC;?
Ben Lewis, principal at Century Junior
High in Forest Lake, agreed and described
some of the challenges of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best
for students philosophy.â&#x20AC;?
â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think the most often ethic I rely on is
to do what is best for a student or students
in the situation and its various constraints.
The catch is the last part â&#x20AC;Ś budget, time,
external demands often limit the options.
In addition there are several interpretations
on â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;what is best for studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in any given
context.â&#x20AC;?
Paulette Reikowski, Eagan High School
principal, responded by saying itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;certainly important to think about this as we
go through our day. I use personal integrity
and try to model that behavior (being true
to myself and my standards at all times)
and respect for others regardless of culture,
background, age, race, or gender.â&#x20AC;?
Karen Seashore, a widely respected regents professor at the University of Minnesota, has talked with educators at the K-12
as well as college/university level. She also
conducted research on the â&#x20AC;&#x153;practical ethicsâ&#x20AC;? that faculty members use in their research settings.
She suggested:
â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every time you make an on-the-spot

decision, you have to ask yourself
whether you are creating an opportunity for harm.â&#x20AC;?
â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;&#x153;Be fair, particularly in allocating
opportunities and credit. In fact, be
generous. I hardly ever work alone,
and it is very important that others
with whom I work have the chance
to participate fully and be given public
commendation for what they do. This is as
true of students in classes as people who
work with me as assistants.â&#x20AC;?
â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;&#x153;Never fudge â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;dataâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; or try for quick
fixes. I have been a teacher-leader at the
university as well as a scholar. It is always
tempting to put the end first, but the consequences are always terrible â&#x20AC;&#x201C; usually for
other people. This applies to grading, to
classes that are not going as well as I wanted, to students who may be stumbling â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as
well as to research projects.â&#x20AC;?
â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;&#x153;Always put yourself in the other
personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shoes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; whether a student, a colleague, or a person who is cooperating in a
research project.â&#x20AC;?
Along with suggestions above that others offered, John Beach, principal of Princetonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s North Elementary wrote, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t
know if this is a principle, but an appropriate sense of humor really goes a long way
in creating a comfortable, easygoing environment.â&#x20AC;?
We (including me) donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always succeed
at being open, honest, and generous, mixed
with a sense of humor. But I found it useful to ask others about their guiding principles.
What are yours?
Joe Nathan, a former public school teacher
and administrator, directs the Center for
School Change, Humphrey Institute, University of Minnesota. He can be reached at jnathan@umn.edu. Columns reflect the opinion
of the author.

Tires Plus Primrose School expands to Eagan
OKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d for
mall site
by Jessica Harper
THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

Nicolas B. Payne "Nick", age 21
of Lakeville, entered the arms of
Jesus as a result of a car accident
on July 25, 2011. Nick is preceded in death by his uncle,
Charlie Wifler. He is survived by
his parents, Brent and Renee; siblings, Tiffany, Connor and
Logan; grandparents, aunts,
uncles, cousins and too many
friends to list. Nicolas is deeply
loved and will be sorely missed.
Funeral services were held on
Friday, July 29 at 1 PM, in Trinity Evangelical Free Church,
10658 210th St. West, Lakeville,
with his visitation being held from
10 AM to 1 PM in the church.
Interment was in Lebanon Cemetery, Apple Valley. Memorials
can be sent to the National Marf a n F o u n d a t i o n
(www.marfan.org), the Salvation
Army of North Mpls
(www.thesalarmy.com), or to the
church.

Henry W Anderson
952-432-2331

Nancy C.
Ramsey
Nancy C. Ramsey, age 83, of
Burnsville, passed away on
July 23, 2011.
Nancy enjoyed working at
Mary Mother of the Church in
Burnsville for 30 years. She is
preceded in death by her loving
husband, Max Ramsey II.
Survived by her loving children,
Carol (Paul) Hedberg, and Max
(Rose) Ramsey III. Also by five
grandchildren: Mary Speidel,
Cassandra (Brad) Vrchota, Jacob
Hedberg, and Lucas & William
Ramsey.
Memorial Mass will take place
11 AM Tuesday (7/26) at Mary
Mother of the Church, 3333
E. Cliff Rd., Burnsville, with a
gathering of family and friends
1 hr. prior to Mass at Church.
Interment, Fort Snelling National
Cemetery.

obit.HenryWAnderson.com

Phyllis W.
Burnett
Phyllis W., Burnett, age 71, of
Apple Valley, passed away July
20, 2011 at the Augustana Health
Care Center of Apple Valley.
Phyllis is preceded in death by her
parents, Earl and Wilma Culver.
She is survived by her daughter,
Michelle; 3 grandchildren, Christopher, Susan and Anthony;
brother, Theron (Beverly) Culver;
nieces, nephews and friends.
Her memorial service will be
held on Saturday, August 13,
2011 at 11 AM in Henry W
Anderson Mortuary, 147th and
Garrett Ave., Apple Valley with a
gathering of family and friends
one hour prior to the service at
the Mortuary. Interment will be
in Mt Hope Cemetery, St James,
MN.

To submit an announcement
Forms for birth, engagement, wedding, anniversary
and obituaries announcements are available at our
office and online at www.thisweeklive.com (click on
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Announcementsâ&#x20AC;? and then â&#x20AC;&#x153;Send Announcementâ&#x20AC;?).
Completed forms may be e-mailed to class.thisweek@
ecm-inc.com or mailed to Thisweek Newspapers,
12190 County Road 11, Burnsville, MN 55337. If
you are submitting a photograph along with your
announcement, please only submit photographs
for which you have the right to permit Thisweek
Newspapers to use and publish. Deadline for
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thereafter. They will run in all editions of Thisweek
Newspapers. Photos may be picked up at the office
within 60 days or returned by mail if a self-addressed,
stamped envelope is provided.

IN BRIEF
Primrose School is located at 4249 Johnny Cake
Ridge Road in Eagan. Phone: (651) 994-1477. Web:
www.primroseeagan.com.
age groups into 11 different
classrooms.
The lessons taught in
these classes, such as respect, honesty and responsibility, particularly impressed Storkamp.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kids grab on to that so
quickly,â&#x20AC;? said Storkamp,
who has her own three children enrolled at the center.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was nice to know it was
really high quality and they
love it.â&#x20AC;?
Working with the centerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
children is the most satisfying part of the job, she said.
Each class is directed
by a licensed teacher or li-

District 191 adjusts finances in light of new state budget
The newly approved state
budget will result in $8 million less in cash flow than
expected for BurnsvilleEagan-Savage School District 191 during the 2011-12
school year and will require
the district to borrow funds
to pay for operating expenses.
Legislators and the governor agreed to shift funding
and delay aid payments to
all school districts in order
to balance the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s budget.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;This added financial
stress makes it even more
important that we move forward with changes that will
allow us to continue to offer
the high quality education
our community expects and
our students deserve,â&#x20AC;? Board
Chair Ron Hill said.
He said that over the past
three years, the board has
charted a course that includes:
â&#x20AC;˘ Reaffirming the districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission to provide
every student with relevant
and challenging learning experiences.
â&#x20AC;˘ A focus on improving
curriculum and instruction.
â&#x20AC;˘ Restructuring the organization for sustainability.
â&#x20AC;˘ Creating budget documents that are easier to understand and more transparent so that more effective
communication regarding
the financial state of the district can take place with all
stakeholders.
The board adopted a
2011-12 budget that spends

$4 million less than the previous year and uses $2 million of the districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s budget
reserve.
The board also voted
unanimously to ask voters
in November to renew an
existing levy that will expire
in 2013.
It provides about $10 million in revenue each year.
Approval of the levy would
extend it for another 10
years at no increase to taxpayers.
Another major financial
factor comes into play as
the board begins negotiating

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John Gessner is at burnsville.
thisweek@ecm-inc.com.

contracts with its eight employee groups that include
about 93 percent of the districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1,245 employees.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;We understand that
negotiating new labor contracts may require tough
decisions; especially in difficult economic times,â&#x20AC;? said
Hill, who along with board
members Dan Luth and
Jim Schmid will represent
the board in negotiations.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Therefore, all decisions
will be based on what our
district believes to be good
educational and fiscal management.â&#x20AC;?

Children are divided by age groups into 11 different classrooms at Primrose School in Eagan, which is a for-profit
child care center that has an educational focus for infants
and children ages 1 to 12. The center opened last month.

ďż˝

THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

A north Burnsville shopping mall hailed by City
Council members as a model
of graceful aging will continue its renaissance with a new
Tires Plus store.
The council gave unanimous approval Aug. 1 to the
storeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s construction on Town
and Country Square Shopping Center property.
Tires Plus will build an
8,420-square-foot retail and
service center on the southeast corner of the property,
next to Highway 13. Construction is expected later
this summer.
The council agreed to a
deviation in green space for
the entire mall property to
allow Tires Plus and future
development on an unbuilt
lot on the propertyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s northwest corner adjacent to Cliff
Road.
City planning staff said
green space totaling 23.08
percent of the site is needed
to comply with the propertyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
planned unit development.
Staff recommended removing hard surface elsewhere on
the property when the northwest corner is developed.
The property owner,
iMetro T & C LLC, asked for
20.95 percent green space.
Tom Evenson, representing
the owner, said a future building of up to 9,800 square feet
would have to be reduced to
2,000 to accommodate the
higher green space requirement and parking.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;If we have to bump that
green space requirement up,
then weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to have a
problem,â&#x20AC;? Evenson told the
council. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to have
to take that building down to
nothing.â&#x20AC;?
The owner has lost some
land that would have qualified as green space to rightof-way dedications along
both Cliff and 13.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think we need to be
flexible (on green space), and
Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m OK with their 20.95,â&#x20AC;?
Council Member Dan Kealey said.
The mall, built in 1971, is
100 percent leased, according
to Kealey. It has undergone
exterior improvements over
the years, and an extra retail
building was added east of
the mall after being approved
in 2004.
iMetro took an area that
was â&#x20AC;&#x153;a little blightedâ&#x20AC;? and
â&#x20AC;&#x153;turned it into a very nice
center,â&#x20AC;? Council Member
Dan Gustafson said.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;When we talk about the
aging strip malls, I really
think you have shown what
can be done,â&#x20AC;? Council Member Mary Sherry said.
As part of the planned
unit development amendment allowing Tires Plus,
the owner agreed to rescind
council approvals in 2007
and 2008 that allowed an
event center at the mall. That
space is now leased by a retail
store.
Eliminating that use frees
up total parking, allowing
Tires Plus to claim needed
spaces.

ďż˝

by John Gessner

Like many parents, Diane and Darren Storkamp
wanted the most out of
their child care center.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;As a parent, I know
what it is like to leave your
child somewhere and not
want to feel guilty about it,â&#x20AC;?
Diane said.
The
Savage
couple
searched for some time until coming across Primrose
School in their hometown.
Diane was so impressed
she left her corporate job
to open a Primrose location
with her husband in Eagan.
Though Darren is coowner, he continues to
maintain another career in
the technology industry.
Diane, who previously
worked as a project manager for Hallmark, said she
easily transitioned into her
new job.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;A lot of it is managing so it is not as big of a
change as I had thought,â&#x20AC;?
she said.
The franchise opened
in late July at 4249 Johnny
Cake Ridge Road.
The Eagan school is the
latest of seven Primrose
sites in the Twin Cities.
Storkamp said she believes it will fit well in Eagan
because the city has a large
number of young families.
Primrose is a for-profit
franchise of child care centers that has an educational
focus for infants and children ages 1 to 12.
Children are divided by

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Obituaries

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6A

August 5, 2011 THISWEEK

Sports
Darwitz returns to the south metro, this time as a coach
Olympian, Gopher and Eagan Wildcat Natalie Darwitz will take over as girls hockey head coach at Lakeville South
by Andy Rogers
THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rare when a high
school coach is asked for an
autograph.
But as one of the top
womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hockey players in
U.S. history, Natalie Darwitz has signed more than
she can remember.
Darwitz, with a long list
of accomplishments that
includes an Olympic silver
medal and the all-time scoring record at the University
of Minnesota, was introduced as the new Lakeville
South varsity head coach
at Hasse Arena on Tuesday
night to players, parents
and fans.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not every day you
can introduce a coach of
this caliber to your program,â&#x20AC;? Lakeville South athletic director Neil Strader
said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the Michael
Jordan of womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hockey.â&#x20AC;?
After the introduction
speeches, Darwitz worked
her way through the crowd
and hesitated on the autograph question.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;I saw a couple kids
I thought who were going to ask,â&#x20AC;? Darwitz said.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know how I was
going to react. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know
if a coach should give out
autographs. I want to set
the standard that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m the
coach.â&#x20AC;?

Autographs or not, Darwitz has the experience on
and off the ice to merit the
coaching opportunity.
She was a member of the
U.S. Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hockey team
at age 15 and spent three of
the past four years in the
coaching ranks with Eagan
High School and the University of Minnesota.
She played at the U of
M until 2005 and served as
an assistant in 2008-09 and
2010-11. She was captain
for the U.S. Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team
in the 2010 Olympics.
So why leave a full-time
Division I assistant coach
position
for
Lakeville
South?
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been on the road
since I was 15 and that
doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t suit me anymore,â&#x20AC;?
Darwitz said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be
around for Thanksgiving
and Christmas now. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m getting at the age where family
is important to me.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;The rivals are 10-15
minutes away now. You
donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to drive five
hours into Wisconsin.â&#x20AC;?
She admits itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a risky
move, but in the end, she
wants to work with high
school players.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in my heart,â&#x20AC;?
Darwitz said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People have
their opinions on whether
Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m doing the right thing.
Now my passion is Lakev-

ille South.â&#x20AC;?
Darwitz plans on coaching her team to win, but as
a high school coach, she
realizes sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also molding
young lives.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Obviously I want to win
a state championship, but
I want to instill values into
these girls,â&#x20AC;? Darwitz said.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to become better hockey players, but weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re
also going to become better
friends and better people.â&#x20AC;?
Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a big reason she
was an attractive hire for
Strader.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;She can teach life skills
to these kids,â&#x20AC;? Strader said.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;She traveled the world and
played hockey at the highest
level ... Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s phenomenal
with kids.â&#x20AC;?
Lakeville
approached
Darwitz first. There were
some family connections,
so Strader didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think it
would hurt to ask.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;We knew weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d kick
ourselves if we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t try,â&#x20AC;?
Strader said.
Darwitz listened.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really on the
market,â&#x20AC;? Darwitz said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;No
one really considered me.
Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m at the U and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m tied
down. I told them I would
think about it and I think
that surprised them.â&#x20AC;?
Other schools heard
she might be available, but
Lakeville South stood out.

the college level,
but you get there
sometimes
they
have a chip on their
shoulder or theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re
a little arrogant.â&#x20AC;?
Her memories from
playing at Eagan
from
1996-2000
when she scored
487 points in 102
games kept coming
back.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;I cherish my high
school
hockey
days,â&#x20AC;? Darwitz said.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
nothing
like winning the
Photo by Andy Rogers section tournament
Lakeville South athletic director and going to state.â&#x20AC;?
Neil Strader, left, introduced Natalie It helped that
Darwitz as the new Lakeville South her high school
girls hockey coach at Hasse Arena on coach was her dad
Tuesday.
Scott Darwitz who
still coaches with
â&#x20AC;&#x153;They kept coming at Eagan. When trying to
me,â&#x20AC;? Darwitz said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ulti- decide what to do, Scott
mately Lakeville was the Darwitz a longtime girls
most intriguing to me. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s high school hockey coach,
a chance to build from the encouraged her. She startground up. Other programs ed coaching with her dad
already had established tra- at Eagan for the 2007-08
ditions, but Lakeville South school year when the team
is new.â&#x20AC;?
went 20-9-1 and qualified
She spent the summer for state.
coaching youth camps in
â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was a tough deciEagan, which helped her sion for me because that
decide.
would be a lot of fun to
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m really passion- coach alongside him, but
ate about the age group,â&#x20AC;? at the same time this was
Darwitz said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s that age an opportunity for me to
group where theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re like take over a program and
sponges. Nothing against

run with it,â&#x20AC;? Darwitz said.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no doubt Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll call
him up and ask for advice,â&#x20AC;?
The real challenge will be
playing Eagan and coaching against the Wildcats.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve known the Kelly
green and the royal blue of
Eagan all my life,â&#x20AC;? Darwitz
said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Looking down the
visitor bench and seeing
my father, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be
strange. At the same time
weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re competitive people.
Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be a fun night.â&#x20AC;?
Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see each other on
the ice first on Dec. 10 with
Lakeville South as the host
and again on Jan. 21, 2012,
at Eagan.
Coaching the Cougars
wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take as much time as
the Gophers, so she plans
on returning to school
to become a teacher. She
hopes to teach in the Lakeville district.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;I see myself as a mainstay here as part of the community,â&#x20AC;? Darwitz said.
The first order of business is putting together a
coaching staff. She spent
the past week saying goodbye to the Gophers, which
she said was hard.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m ready for the next
step in my life,â&#x20AC;? Darwitz
said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m really excited.â&#x20AC;?
Andy
Rogers
is
at
andy.rogers@ecm-inc.com.

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do attitude. Profit potential is from $400 to $800
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information contact John
@ 952-895-1910.

Int/Ext, and remodeling! Free est,
29 yrs exp. Will meet or beat any
price. Refs/Ins. 952-469-6800
BBB Member
Jack’s Twin City Painting
Interior or Exterior –
“We Do It All,
At a Great Price!”
Call 612-501-6449 or email
twincitypaint@yahoo.com

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Reader Advisory: The National Trade Association we
belong to has purchased the above classifieds. Determining the value of their service or product is advised by this
publication. In order to avoid misunderstandings, some
advertisers do not offer employment but rather supply the
readers with manuals, directories and other materials
designed to help their clients establish mail order selling
and other businesses at home. Under NO circumstance
should you send any money in advance or give the client
your checking, license ID, or credit card numbers. Also
beware of ads that claim to guarantee loans regardless of
credit and note that if a credit repair company does business only over the phone it is illegal to request any money
before delivering its service. All funds are based in US
dollars. Toll free numbers may or may not reach Canada.

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10A

August 5, 2011 THISWEEK

Thisweekend
Fiddler featured at farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; market

Photo submitted

Photos by Andrew Miller

The April Verch Band, a fiddle-driven Canadian roots-music trio, will be the headlining act
at Eagan Market Fest on Wednesday, Aug. 10. The weekly, city-run Market Fest offers
live entertainment, in addition to a farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; market and family activities, each Wednesday
night throughout the summer at Central Park, 1501 Central Parkway, and admission is
free. Also set to perform Aug. 10 are Bill and Kate Isles; the music runs from 4 to 8 p.m.
More information is at www.cityofeagan.com/marketfest.

Above: Madison Railton,
Dain Feil and Lucy Niver
are among the 57-member
cast of young actors in
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Beauty and the Beast Jr.â&#x20AC;?
presented by The Playâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
The Thing Productions next
weekend at the Burnsville
Performing Arts Center

At left: Among the anthropomorphic houseware items
in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Beauty and the Beast
Jr.â&#x20AC;? is a group of dancing dishes, including Katie
Mills, Kiele Sterner and
Emma Kopp.

The Peter Pan Projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s third production, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cinderella,â&#x20AC;? opens Saturday,
Aug. 6 at Nicollet Commons Park in
Burnsville.
This free performance is a new production of the classic tale and is inspired by the creativity of the teens and
children involved.
Performances are Aug. 6, 12, and 13
at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Nicollet Commons Park is located
at 12550 Nicollet Avenue (on Nicollet
Avenue between 125th Street and
126th Street West), just outside the
Burnsville Art Center.
The Peter Pan Project was created by L.J. Johnson, a local film and
stage actress. She teamed up with The
GARAGE in Burnsville a little over
a year ago to produce innovative theater productions.

Young actors take spotlight
in â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Beauty and the Beast Jr.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;
Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s production runs Aug. 11-13 at Burnsville PAC
by Andrew Miller
THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

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Playâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the Thing two and a
half years ago. The show
has a two-story set, elaborate costumes and professional props rented from
Chanhassen Dinner Theater and other groups.
The production will be
presented on the main stage
in the Burnsville arts centerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1,000-seat proscenium
theater. By childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s theater standards, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a massive auditorium to fill, but
Railton said her production
of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Annie Jr.â&#x20AC;? last summer
at the same venue drew
about 600 people per show.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what it is â&#x20AC;&#x201C;
people come out in droves,â&#x20AC;?
she said.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Disneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Beauty and the
Beast Jr.â&#x20AC;? will be presented
at 7 p.m. Aug. 11 and 13,
and 1 p.m. Aug. 12. Tickets
are $13 for adults, $11 for
students and senior citizens,
and are available at www.
burnsvillepac.com.
Andrew Miller is at andrew.
miller@ecm-inc.com.

theater and arts briefs
Benefit set for
tornado victims

Dakota City plans
fair events

Apple Valley businesses
Heartbeat Studios and Bogartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Place will partner to present Disaster Blaster â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a benefit
for the victims of the North
Minneapolis tornado â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from
6:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug.
13, at Bogartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Place, 14917
Garrett Ave., Apple Valley.
The event will include performances in hip hop, break
dance, tap and singing, plus
a break dance battle. A silent
auction also will be held.
The show is free, but a $10
donation is suggested.
For more information, call
Heartbeat Studios at (952)
432-7833 or Bogartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Place at
(952) 432-1515.

Special
entertainment
and events are planned in
Dakota City Heritage Village throughout the Dakota
County Fair Aug. 8-14. The
village is located on the west
end of the fairgrounds, 4008
220th St. W., in Farmington.
Entertainment will be
provided by wandering musicians and offered in the performance tent on the green
south of Ahlberg Hall.
Groups and individuals performing will include
Bakers Fan, Marv Gohman,
Ron E. Cash, Summer Pops
Band, Eelpout Singers, Still
Tickin,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Dakota Brass Quintet, Sonny Bryant, and Kar-

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Matthew Loydâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s costume
has plenty of flair but one
small drawback.
Cast as the singing,
anthropomorphic
clock
Cogsworth in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Disneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
Beauty and the Beast Jr.,â&#x20AC;?
the 14-year-old Burnsville
resident says his boxy, bulky
costume â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which includes a
giant key protruding from
his back and a pendulum
dangling from his chest â&#x20AC;&#x201C;
took some getting used to,
especially offstage.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;The hardest thing is
getting through doors,â&#x20AC;? he
said.
Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all part of the learning process, though, for
Loyd and the 50-some other
young actors in the classic
Disney musical, which will
be presented Aug. 11-13 at
the Burnsville Performing
Arts Center.
The show is being staged
by The Playâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the Thing Productions, the company of
Dayna Railton of Lakeville.

Railton says the goal of her
shows is to give south-ofthe-river students a chance
to get familiar with theater
and all the challenges, and
fun, that come with it.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;They learn focus, musicality, articulation, what
kind of physicalities appeal
to an audience, their position on stage and how it affects the entire show,â&#x20AC;? Railton said.
Along with learning the
nuts and bolts, â&#x20AC;&#x153;these are
lifetime experiences theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll
cherish their whole lives,â&#x20AC;?
she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s magical.â&#x20AC;?
The child cast and paid
adult crew have been rehearsing four hours a day,
five days a week for the past
three weeks at Eagle Ridge
Junior High in Savage, in
anticipation of their move
to the Burnsville venue next
week.
Railton said â&#x20AC;&#x153;Disneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
Beauty and the Beast Jr.â&#x20AC;?
is the biggest childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
theater project sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s undertaken since founding The

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en Cohen and cloggers.
Special events will include
talent shows, a lumberjack
show, square dancing and
theater performances. For
a performance listing, visit
www.dakotacity.org/FairTime.html.
Costumed interpreters to
help visitors understand life
in the 1900-era village will
staff all buildings.
The usual tractor parade
through the village will take
place at 1 p.m. each day with
many tractors on display on
the village green. Threshing
will take place north of the fire
barn at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
For more information,
call Dakota City at (651)
460-8050.

Expressions
presents â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;A Month
of Sundaysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;
Lakeville community theater group Expressions will
present the stage comedy â&#x20AC;&#x153;A
Month of Sundaysâ&#x20AC;? Aug.
5-14 at the Lakeville Area
Arts Center. Show times are
7:30 p.m. Aug. 5-6 and 1213, and 2 p.m. Aug. 7 and
14. Tickets are $12 and can
be ordered by calling (952)
985-4640 or online at www.
lakeville-rapconnect.com.

Calendars can be found online
at calendars.thisweeklive.com

THISWEEK August 5, 2011

PUBLIC NOTICE
NOTICE OF THE CITY OF EAGAN
POLICY OF NONDISCRIMINATION
ON THE BASIS OF DISABILITY
The City of Eagan is committed to the
policy that all persons have equal access to
its programs, services, activities, facilities
and employment without regard to race,
color, creed, religion, national origin, sex,
disability, age, sexual orientation, marital
status or status with regard to public
assistance.
Auxiliary aids for persons with disabilities
will be provided upon advance notice of at
least 96 hours. If a notice of less than 96
hours is received, the City of Eagan will
attempt to provide such aid. Telephone:
(651) 675-5000; TDD: (651) 454-8535.
2701915
8/5/11

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seams,â&#x20AC;? Battista said.
Fairview Ridges recently added a Cardiomyopathy Optimization Rehabilitation Education clinic
(CORE) program.
This physician-directed
program teaches at-risk
patients about diet and lifestyle changes. It includes a
check-in program in which
patients must report weight,
blood pressure and other vitals on a daily basis.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;This drastically reduces
hospitalization readmission
rates in this population,
from 20 percent to 1 to 2
percent,â&#x20AC;? Diane Nelson,
director of Cardiovascular
Services, said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s much
easier to treat a patient
when their weight is up only
two or three pounds.â&#x20AC;?
Any electrical issues related to pacemakers or other cardiac equipment can
be taken care of at Ridges.
Most checks are done over
phone lines, but they can
also be analyzed in Burnsville.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Most patients that live
south of the river want to
stay there,â&#x20AC;? Battista said.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re getting a wonderful
patient response. They love
when they can do everything here.â&#x20AC;?
Hospital
performance
is often based on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Door to
Balloon Time,â&#x20AC;? meaning
the time the patient arrives
at the hospital until the
first artery is opened. The
national standard, according to Battista, is 90 minutes. The average time at
Fairview Ridges is 45 minutes.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Each 15-minute increment will determine survival 11 years down the road,â&#x20AC;?
Battista said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A heart attack thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s over within 45
minutes is already much
smaller and the patient is recovering faster. Within 8-10
hours the patient is walking around and ready to go
home safely.â&#x20AC;?
The hospital started performing angiograms using a
technique entering through
a patientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wrist last year,
and with this procedure pa- Stacey Ackerman is a freetients are able to go home lance writer from Lakeville.

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PUBLIC NOTICE
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NOTICE
The City of Eagan will receive sealed
proposals for fully-insured Medical Insurance until 3:00 p.m. on Friday, August 26,
2011. Mail proposals to the attention of:
Ms. Lori Peterson
Manager of Human Resources
City of Eagan
3830 Pilot Knob Road
Eagan, MN 55122-1897
Mark sealed envelopes containing the
proposal on the lower left corner: "SEALED
PROPOSAL -MEDICAL INSURANCE".
Faxed proposals will not be accepted.
Proposals received within the required time
period will be opened and reviewed by Lori
Peterson and Jeff Azen. No formal opening
of proposals will occur.
The Request for Proposal, including this
notice, general instructions, all pertinent
underwriting and general information is on
file at the office of Lori Peterson.
Please provide two (2) copies of your
proposal and an electronic copy on a CD.
All responding companies should be prepared to make oral presentations, if
requested. Proposals will be evaluated and
the contracts are expected to be awarded
in October, 2011. Contracts may only be
awarded to carriers/vendors who respond
to this RFP.
The City of Eagan reserves the right to
accept or reject any or all proposals, or
parts thereof, and to waive any informalities or irregularities. The Request for Proposal is being made under conditions set
forth in Minnesota Statute Section
471.6161.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Questions regarding this RFP should not be directed to the
City of Eagan. All questions must be in
writing (faxes or e-mails accepted) and
directed to Jeff Azen of Gallagher Benefit Services, Inc. 3600 American Blvd
Suite 500, Bloomington, MN 55431;
Phone: 952-356-0672 Fax: 866-743-6238
e-mail: Jeff_Azen@ajg.com.
2701920
8/5/11

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that day.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is no need to rest
their legs for 8-12 hours and
to lie perfectly still,â&#x20AC;? Nelson
said.
The hospital currently
performs 40 percent of its
procedures this way, whereas the national average is 3
percent, according to Battista.
Jim Christenson, 54, of
Lakeville, owes his life to
the great response time and
care he received at Fairview
Ridges when he experienced
an unexpected cardiac arrest in March.
Christenson has never smoked and isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t over
weight, walks daily and eats
right, so he never expected
to have a heart attack.
He was driven to
Fairview Ridges Hospital
by a co-worker from his office in Eagan. He arrived
at 11 a.m. and the procedure (a stent was put in at
the cath lab) was completed
shortly after noon. It was
one of the fastest times the
cath lab has performed the
procedure.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Another 20 minutes
and I may not have been as
lucky,â&#x20AC;? Christenson said.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are a lot of things
that you take for granted.
Everything is more meaningful now.â&#x20AC;?
Christenson is back to
his favorite pastimes â&#x20AC;&#x201D;
hunting and fishing â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but
now heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s careful to bring a
buddy with him.
Fairview Ridges expects
continued growth in the
cardiology space in order to
stay on pace with the population trends.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is a commitment
by the hospital to raise capital for a parking garage and
to build a womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heart
clinic and a heart vascular
center,â&#x20AC;? Battista said.
Funds will also need to
be raised from the community.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is difficult to do on
the hospitalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1 to 2 percent
operating margin, but we
need to build for a new and
growing population,â&#x20AC;? he
said.

Cardiac/from 1A

11A

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12A

August 5, 2011 THISWEEK

event planner â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the list goes
on and on. I still do try to be
all of those things, although
now Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m more aware of my
actions.
Well, one day, my Supermom cape broke and I could
no longer fly. I remember
going to a birthday party
with my oldest son, Evan. It
was for one of his preschool
classmates. His mother had
meticulously arranged for
everyone to sew an owl costume. I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even figure
out how to assemble the
darn thing. One of the other
moms said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;And there goes
Jen, pulling out her Supermom cape again.â&#x20AC;?
I wanted to be like her.
I wanted to have the perfect craft for my kidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s party
too. I tried to have a really
great fifth birthday party for
Evan. I rented a huge tiger
jumper, but it rained. I had
planned for the kids to plant
flowers, but none of them
were interested. Nonetheless, the party wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t up to
my Supermom expectations.
Now I know that nothing
can ever live up to those expectations because theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re
not realistic.
In my quest to be a superaccomplished woman with
a 10 page to-do list every
day, I often forget some important details because my
brain runs on overload.
Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m always the mom who
forgets to put diapers in the
diaper bag, or goes to the
zoo without any snacks.
And I am always losing my
watch, the silver one that I
bought on our trip to Switzerland. One day when I was
pouring my corn flakes the
watch fell out. Talk about a
great cereal prize!
As part of my Supermom
persona, I like to have everything meticulously planned
out. I want to be in control.
Always. I hate the feeling of
not having control. There is
nothing that scares me more.
But it seems like thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s this
strange thing called life that
seems to get in the way.
The stomach flu, a car accident, an asthma attack,
bad weather, or postpartum
anxiety that shakes up my
system.
Why canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t these things
be scheduled on my smart

Postpartum/from 1A
I discovered that panic
attacks had happened to
me before, many years ago,
and I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what they
were. I also learned that the
unexplained paralysis of my
legs that I had after the birth
of my second child was actually a form of anxiety,
a psychological condition
called Conversion Disorder,
in which someoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s anxiety
A book signing by
transpires into a physical
Stacey
Ackerman for
ailment.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Supermom: A PostThrough my book-writpartum Anxiety Suring journey, I began to realvival Storyâ&#x20AC;? has been
ize that there wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a lot of
scheduled at Apple
information out there about
Valley Barnes & Noble
postpartum anxiety, makfrom 1-3 p.m. Saturday,
ing it difficult for numerous
Aug. 20.
health practitioners to recIt is available in soft
ognize my condition.
cover, hard cover and
My focus in my meme-book through www.
oir began to take on a new
super mombook.org,
form â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to bring light to new
www.barnesandnoble.
moms and clinicians that
com or www.amazon.
postpartum mood disorders
com.
donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always transpire like
Follow
@Staceythe widely-recognized sad,
Supermom
on
Twitter
crying mother.
and Facebook for the
I want to spread awarelatest updates. Ackerness of postpartum anxiety
man can be reached at
so other new moms donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t
Stacey@supermomhave to hit rock bottom bebook.org.
fore finding effective treatment.
Here is an excerpt from The outside world seemed
my book:
foreign now. I had to think
about it really hard to even
What should have been remember that I had a baby.
the happiest days of my life My engorged and infected
turned out to be the darkest breasts were the only hint
days. I had always longed of reality â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the reality that I
for a daughter, and now that had too abruptly quit nursI had one I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sure if Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d ing. I was in a different place
ever get to raise her.
at this time in my life â&#x20AC;&#x201C; one
I hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seen my new- that I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sure Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d ever esborn in more than a week, cape.
but it felt like a lifetime. As
My psychiatrist labeled
I sat in the windowsill of my me Supermom. He said,
hospital room in the behav- â&#x20AC;&#x153;The higher up you are, the
ioral health unit, I looked farther you have to fall.â&#x20AC;?
outside at the world around He characterized me as the
me. I saw familiar streets, woman who juggles so many
ordinary people going to things that I can no longer
visit loved ones, cars driv- keep all of the balls in the
ing by, even the downtown air. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sooner or later someMinneapolis skyline in the thingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to tip,â&#x20AC;? he said.
background. These were all I had a hard time believing
familiar sights that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d seen a him at the time, but now I
million times before, but life think he was wise beyond
from inside these four walls his words.
looked very different.
I used to run around and
Most of the time I try to be the perfect mother,
couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t remember the wife, entrepreneur, employsimplest things â&#x20AC;&#x201C; like how ee, daughter, friend, sister,
to brush my teeth, take a housekeeper,
neighbor,
shower, or comb my hair.

phone like everything else? I
donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t deal well with the unexpected.
After my daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
birth, more and more stressors entered my life and I
tried to hold it all together
and stay in control, but I
lost it. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to admit, but
I totally lost it. Sometimes I
feel like Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll lose it again, but
Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m working on that.
When postpartum anxiety/panic/psychosis hit me
after having my third child,
it was totally unplanned,
unexpected, and it shook up
my world like nothing else
imaginable.

a postpartum anxiety survivor, but have come to the
realization that I may suffer from generalized anxiety disorder for a lifetime.
I recently tried to go off of
my anti-anxiety medicine
that I was prescribed after
my daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s birth, and I
found myself angry, easily
irritated and unable to cope.
While I hate relying on pills,
Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve come to the realization
that it beats the alternative.
My mission now is to
provide education and
awareness to the postpartum community. I hope that
through my book, writing
about the topic and speakToday I consider myself ing to people, I can shed

more light on postpartum
anxiety.
If you or someone you
know is suffering from a
postpartum mood disorder,
get help immediately. A few
great local resources are Jennyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Light (www.jennyslight.
org) and Pregnancy & Postpartum Support Minnesota
(www.minnesotabirth.com).
Stacey Ackerman is a college marketing instructor,
freelance writer and advocate for postpartum awareness. She lives in Lakeville
with her husband, Eirik, and
their three children, Evan,
Eithan, and Emily.